ESTIMATION OF DAILY ENERGY GAIN OF SOLAR TRACKING SURFACES BASED ON GEOGRAPHIC POSITION

Abstract

The performance of solar systems depends on the effective incident solar energy on the capture surface. This factor is dependent on the geographic position, the orientation of the surface, atmospheric conditions, and other geo-climatic factors. Solar trackers, typically uni- and biaxial, are used to optimize the capture of solar radiation via movement of the plane of incidence of these devices. A reliable estimation of the energy gain of these trackers with respect to a fixed surface facilitates more accurate analyses of the feasibility, operation, and maintenance of solar ventures. In this work, a method for estimating the relative energy gain of uni- and biaxial solar trackers is developed. This approach applies to locations between the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle, using geographic coordinates and the altitude of the location of interest, providing daily results throughout the year. Unlike empirical results or case studies, the proposed method applies to any location and has a low error. It can be implemented using iterative algorithms with a low computational cost and can be easily utilized by researchers and technicians in the field.